GP3 Post-Season Testing Kicks Off At Jerez

The first of two post-season tests for the GP3 Series takes place at Jerez tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday.

The two tests will utilise the outgoing GP3/10 chassis before the updated car is introduced for the 2013 season.

Having won the last three teams’ titles, Lotus GP will be looking to secure another top trio of drivers for their next campaign. Tomorrow they field Giovanni Venturini, who scored two podiums with Trident Racing in a part campaign in 2012, Robert Visoiu, who was a podium finisher at the 2012 season opener at Barcelona, and new British F3 champion Jack Harvey, who is weighing up a move to GP3 and will also test for Carlin on Thursday.

MW Arden carried Mitch Evans to the drivers’ title this season, and will retain David Fumanelli for the test. He will be joined by Formula Renault graduate and McLaren Autosport BRDC Award nominee Melville McKee as well as 2011 Auto GP champion Kevin Ceccon, who took part in GP3 this year for Ocean Racing Technology.

Marussia Manor Racing retain Tio Ellinas for the test after he won the season finale at Monza, and the Cypriot is expected to race for them again in 2013 as part of an ongoing relationship with Marussia. He’s joined by Formula Abarth champion Nicolas Costa and Patryk Szczerbinski, who competed on the F1 support package in the Porsche Supercup this year having previously raced single-seaters in the Intersteps series in the UK.

Status Grand Prix welcome back Formula Renault racer Miki Weckstrom after he drove for them during last winter’s test, and also field Toyota Racing Series champion Nick Cassidy and British Formula Ford graduate Ryan Cullen.

Jenzer Motorsport are only set to field two cars – one for Venezuelan female racer Samin Gomez, who is already signed up to graduate from Formula Abarth with the Swiss squad next year, and one for Alex Fontana who has made selected appearances with the team in the previous two campaigns.

As previously announced, Trident Racing field rookies Roman de Beer and Emanuele Zonzini, and there are also two rookies down at Carlin in the form of Formula Renault BARC ace Josh Webster and Eric Lichtenstein, who will race for the team next year after a run of victories in British Formula Ford.

The lineup is completed by Atech CRS GP, who field Miki Monras who raced in GP3 in 2010 before moving onto Formula 2 and then sitting out the 2012 season, and Australian Jordan Oon who has been most recently present in the European F3 Open.

Ocean have replaced for next year by Koiranen Motorsport, but neither team is present at the test.